Middle TN has seven of state's 10 lowest jobless rates in April

May 23, 2013

Written by

Duane Marsteller

The Tennessean

Williamson County continued to have the state’s lowest unemployment rate in April despite rising from the previous month, according to figures released today.

An estimated 5,380 people, or 5.3 percent of the county’s labor force, were jobless in April, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. That’s up from 5.1 percent in March but unchanged from the April 2012 figure.

That helped the Nashville region post the lowest rate among major metropolitan areas with 6.4 percent, ahead of Knoxville’s 6.7 percent. Seven of the state’s 10 lowest rates were in the Nashville region.

Despite rates in 62 of the state’s 95 counties falling from March to April, Tennessee’s jobless rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 8 percent. One likely reason for the discrepancy: The state figure is seasonally adjusted, while the county figures are not.

Scott County at Tennessee’s highest rate, at 16.1 percent.

Below are selected Middle Tennessee counties’ April rates, and how they compare to the previous month and in April 2012: